What do I do with these Shock Mounts? (Dana 60)

[garydan]

I just picked up this Dana 60 and I'm confused about my options for using these shock mounts. Will the Ford Shock Towers be useful? Should I just have the stock mounts welded on? (Where would I get the stock tabs?)

i current have a 10-bolt axle installed with quad shocks up front (I'm going to single shocks)

 

[4X4HIGH]

You could carefully cut the shock mounts off your 10 bolt axle and weld them to the D60.

 

[MTBLAZER89]

You could carefully cut the shock mounts off your 10 bolt axle and weld them to the D60.

X2

If you use those and the Ford towers you'll have to mount the towers taller to make up for the difference in height on the bottom mounts.

 

[garydan]

Anyone know where I could buy new mounts to weld on? I'm going to try and sell the 10-bolt, so I'd rather not chop it up.

 

[4X4HIGH]

I tried to have Kert make me some a couple years ago and he said he could but he ended up too busy at the time so he never made them. You might want to check with him now.

 

[owenst7]

Just get some box tubing of the correct size for shocks and make new towers on the frame. The mounts on your D60 are just about the ideal location. It would be way more work to cobble something together to go backwards to the OEM design.

 

[moneypit_K5]

my local 4x shop has universal shock mounts and spring perches in stock. $5 a pop or something like that.

 

[garydan]

Just get some box tubing of the correct size for shocks and make new towers on the frame. The mounts on your D60 are just about the ideal location. It would be way more work to cobble something together to go backwards to the OEM design.

While that sounds good... I need more info on how to actually do it.

 

[owenst7]

While that sounds good... I need more info on how to actually do it.

Just take a look at the tech section writeup for the ford shock towers. You could really easily fab up your own just like them for like $15 worth of tube and a few minutes with a cutting wheel.

Just bolt them to the frame. Doesn't get much simpler than that.

 

[ryoken]

why not just run Ford towers?

from what I understand, where the mounts are now is the optimum spot... maybe not as nice a tab as Kerts

thats what I've got....

it seems like the perfect excuse to actually get some front shock travel....


I would think if you wanted to replicate the stock location you could use something like these, cut at an angle...

 

[garydan]

I did just find this: http://coloradok5.com/forums/showthread.php?t=207147&highlight=shock+mounts+top+axle&page=2

scroll down a bit

 

[4X4HIGH]

You could always use some flat plate and cut a couple pieces like this then angle them how you need and weld them to the housing. You have to keep in mine though that the inner will be shorter than the outer.

 

[garydan]

You could always use some flat plate and cut a couple pieces like this then angle them how you need and weld them to the housing. You have to keep in mine though that the inner will be shorter than the outer.

I need to do something that doesn't require many specialized tools that I don't have.

At most I could borrow a welder and have my dad (certified welder) weld something on.

 

[4X4HIGH]

Nothing specialized needed unless you want some seriously clean tabs. A sawzall, die grinder and a drill is all that would be needed.

 

[owenst7]

Nothing specialized needed unless you want some seriously clean tabs. A sawzall, die grinder and a drill is all that would be needed.

That's really the extent of expensive tools I've used (minus my Lincoln 135) to build my whole truck. A drill, die grinder, and occasional access to a welder is about all anyone needs. All the other fancy stuff is mostly just faster to work with.

Shock towers are like really simple and stuff.